


Bands, Bonds, and a Buick

by plagalcadence



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Gen, Style Five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 08:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7526203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plagalcadence/pseuds/plagalcadence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Road Trip!AU, written for Style Five Week. In which Nagisa plots, Rin suffers, Rei suffers even more, Haruka does his best to see some sights he's never seen before and Makoto tries to keep them all together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bands, Bonds, and a Buick

Makoto still wasn’t quite sure exactly what turn of events had led them here—how he came to be sitting in the front seat of a car, pulled over on the shoulder of the road in the middle of who-knows-where, on a strip of land that looked suspiciously like the deserts he had seen in movies, somewhere in the United States of Friggin’ America, approximately 9,000 kilometers from anywhere closely resembling home. To top it off, he was with his bandmates and _only_ his bandmates—no managers or fans in sight—which was unusual even under normal circumstances. The twenty-four hours since Style Five’s world tour had ended, after two weeks of non-stop performances and traveling from Tokyo to L.A., had seemed to pass by in a smoky blur that was a bit reminiscent of the colorful mist pumped on stage by fog machines during the “Future Fish” finale of Style Five’s final performance of the tour, which had taken place in Los Angeles the night before. Makoto couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps he’d inhaled a bit too much of that colorful fog and the current situation was just a hallucination. As the group’s appointed navigator, Makoto was busy perusing a road atlas while trying to ignore Nagisa’s whining and Haru’s quiet but intensely annoyed grunts as the two fought over the last unopened bottle of still-cold water in the backseat while Rei futilely tried to put a stop to the tug-of-war occurring across his lap, looking oddly pale. In the driver’s seat, next to Makoto, Rin was slumped over with his face down on the steering wheel of the rental car groaning over and over: “Why did I agree to this, again?” and “I hate you guys…I hope you know I hate you guys…” between intermittent pauses.

Consulting the map one more time, Makoto reached out to give Rin an encouraging pat on the back and said: “Look, we’re on the right track. There should be a convenience station right off of the interstate; we can fuel up and you can take a little nap before we get back on the road. I’ll take Haru and Nagisa out for a walk or something to…” he glanced back at his bandmate, who’d given up on the water and was now sprawled across Rei’s lap, groaning about how thirsty he was as Rei patted him on the back awkwardly and Haru triumphantly drank from the bottle, condensation dripping off of it and down into his lap, “…to burn off a little of that energy.” 

Nagisa pulled himself into a sitting position and looked reproachfully at Makoto. “Energy? What energy? I’m dying of thirst here, Mako-chan, all my energy is gone…”

Nagisa. Of course. It had been Nagisa’s idea—Nagisa’s plot, Nagisa’s machinations, Nagisa’s contrivance—that had resulted in the five of them being sealed up in a too small car in a too large country on a too long car trip. It had begun as all their adventures began—Nagisa was the instigator of anything out of the ordinary for the band (anything that didn’t involve a swimming pool or a competition of some sort, anyway—Rin and Haru had that part covered). Nagisa had introduced his latest “brilliant idea!” as they were coming off the stage, breathless and high on the adrenaline rush, from their last performance of the _Style Five ~ Bright Bonds! ~_ tour, which had led them from Tokyo to Sydney to Los Angeles, where they had brought an end to the last month of concerts in a spectacular finale. As he capered backstage, looking as alive and energetic as the others felt exhausted, Nagisa turned around and regarded his bandmates with a huge grin stretched over his childish face, sweeping his sweaty blond hair back out of his eyes: “Boy, do I have a surprise for you guys!”

Rei had come to an immediate halt and looked like he would rather run back out onstage and directly into the arms of the thousands of screaming fangirls rather than hear exactly what this “surprise” Nagisa had in store for them entailed. “Nagisa-kun…”

Ignoring the warning tone in Rei’s voice and the look of sheer terror that had overtaken Rin’s face in the same instant, Nagisa said cheerfully: “I got Ama-chan to buy us a few more days here in the US of A. Alone. While we were here, I thought it would be a shame if we didn’t see some of the sights. So we’re going to Yellowstone Park, okay?” He concluded the statement with a wink, as if he had not just announced their doom. 

They’d immediately hustled Nagisa back into their shared dressing room and demanded more details. He explained cheerfully that he had “somehow” persuaded their manager to delay their flight, because they “needed” some time alone to relax after that long tour. Oh and, yeah, “alone” obviously meant together. Band bonding time, y’know? 

Makoto _didn’t_ know, but he accepted the news meekly. Rei, however, quickly gave voice to his protests. Nagisa merely patted him cheerfully on the back, saying “Don’t mind, Rei-chan, don’t mind” and Makoto knew that if they truly wanted to get out of this trip—whatever it was—Rei wasn’t the one to look to for deliverance, because Nagisa knew how to play his bandmate better than he played his electric guitar. In fact, though Makoto expected his other bandmates were as of yet unaware of it, Nagisa knew how to play them all. Nagisa always had his way with Rei, and he knew Makoto wouldn’t protest anything. Makoto was also positive that Nagisa knew he was Haru’s weak spot, and he certainly knew how to take advantage of it…and combine that with the fact that Haru was _Rin’s_ weak spot, well…Makoto knew it would only be a matter of time before they were all convinced and ready to go. Makoto had already resigned himself to the inevitability of this trip, whatever it may be, but that was when Nagisa decided to divulge the information that oh, he had rented a car for immediately after the concert because he’d had enough flying, so they were going to _drive_ all the way to Yellowstone National Park and he had canceled their reservations at the L.A. hotel for that evening and booked rooms in Las Vegas instead, so they’d better get a move on, huh?

At that, Rin put his foot down. He insisted that no matter what Nagisa thought he was doing, Rin himself was planning to get that hotel room back and take a shower and then go directly to bed and he was most definitely getting on that plane tomorrow morning, because he was tired and deserved some time to relax after their long tour and, besides, he hadn’t seen his mother and sister in…

His protests were cut short. “No, no, Rin-chan, that won’t do,” Nagisa insisted cheerfully, “See, you’re the only one of us who has an international driver’s license.” 

Rin unleashed a snarl and grabbed Nagisa, wrestling him into a headlock. Between the two of them, Makoto and Rei managed to pry their bandmates apart, but by then Rin looked as if he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Makoto had noticed over the years of performing together that Rin, while the most dynamic and passionate performer of them all on stage, frequently became overwhelmed after expending so much energy on a performance and was best left to himself to recover in solitude for a bit before being forced to confront any change in the status quo, so Makoto led him over to a chair, patted him amiably on the back and said: “Don’t worry, Rin, we’ll sort this out.”

When he returned to the little huddle of his bandmates on the other side of the dressing room, he was surprised to find another of his bandmates unexpectedly upset by Nagisa’s proposal. Haru, who had been looking forward to getting back to Japan and spending some quality time with his private pool, had also remained stubbornly against Nagisa’s proposal, even though Nagisa whined and pleaded and rubbed his curly head on Haru’s arm. Makoto could see the telltale gleam of stubbornness in his best friend’s eye, so he sighed and left Haru alone. If Haru really didn’t want to go, that would be the end of it—when Haru set his mind on something, there was rarely anything that could get him to budge. But, for better or worse, Nagisa had an ace up his sleeve—and decided to use it. Hanging off of Haru’s arm and insisting he join them on a road trip, Nagisa quickly slid out his phone and pulled up a photo of Old Faithful in the web browser, handing it to Haru. Makoto and Rei exchanged glances, as Haru silently took the phone from Nagisa and spent the next several minutes reading up on the variety of geysers to be found in Yellowstone Park, his cheeks slowly going pinker and pinker with excitement the further he read. At last, Haru looked up with shiny, sparkling eyes and scooted quickly over to where Rin was still slumped in the corner, insisting: “Rin. I want to go. Look, Rin.”

And, overly emotional and exhausted as he was, as usual Rin couldn’t say no to Haru’s enthusiasm—it had been due to Haru’s influence that Rin had been inspired to start the band in the first place. Nagisa had given a smirk of triumph and after changing quickly (and showering, at Rin’s emphatic insistence), they were on their way. 

The first few hours of the trip hadn’t been bad at all. The four and a half hour trip by interstate from Los Angeles to Las Vegas was the longest any of them had been in a car at one time, but it was late enough that no one was complaining. Rin had taken the driver’s seat, and, after some debate, Haru was given the navigator’s duty, riding in the seat next to him. Haru had been judged to be the best at keeping the driver alert and awake (and also judged the best at dealing with a grouchy Rin), so Rei and Nagisa were crammed into the backseat on either side of Makoto. Both of the younger boys had fallen asleep less than an hour into their trip, and Makoto chatted with Rin for the remainder of the journey, swapping stories, evaluating their recent performances and exchanging ideas for upcoming events with the band. Haru listened quietly, and when there was an occasional lull in the conversation, he would poke Rin in the arm or the side of the head to “make sure he was still awake”. 

The trouble began when they arrived at Las Vegas for their overnight stay, where Rin had just about blown a fuse when Nagisa, after being refused his request to stop and spend a few hours in the casinos, had jokingly insisted they make a stop so that “Rei-chan and I can get hitched! I’ve always wanted a Las Vegas wedding! Wouldn’t that cause a scandal!” while Rei sputtered outraged protests (“It’s not beautiful!”) and Rin, who was still a bit miffed with Nagisa and who, after all these years, still hadn’t figured out how or when to take him seriously, turned bright red and started throwing everything in sight into the back seat to shut him up (including Haru’s precious limited edition Northern Stoplight Loosejaw-kun water bottle, which had caused another scene entirely). Fortunately, Nagisa had had the foresight to book two separate rooms at the hotel for the band, so Rei and Rin took one and—after a plaintive look Haru cast at Makoto (while he might be the best at dealing with grumpy Rin, overly emotional Rin was an entirely different matter that stressed Haru to no end)—Makoto volunteered to go with them, while Haru and Nagisa went to the other. 

The night passed uneventfully. Makoto and Rei sat up late with Rin and helped him carefully plan the rest of their route for the next day using a road atlas Rei had picked up in the hotel lobby and the hotel’s infuriatingly slow Wi-Fi. They included stops for stretching, fueling up, and meal breaks. Rin seemed to be in a considerably better mood and even looking forward to the trip after gaining some control over the situation, and Makoto felt much more at ease knowing Rin and Rei were warming up to the idea. Perhaps Nagisa’s master plan for band bonding was going to work after all. 

The next day, however, got off to a rough start. Rin was in a much better mood after sleeping off most of his exhaustion from the performance of the day before, and even accepted an apologetic hug from Nagisa when they met up for a late breakfast, but Rei had dark circles under his eyes and a headache, and Haru had closed off pensively, even less talkative than usual. Makoto tried not to fret, gave Rei some painkillers he had on hand, and gave Haru an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder. After loading up with their luggage, a few snacks and drinks (purchased by Nagisa), they continued on their journey. Seating arrangements in the car were basically the same as the day before, with Rin at the wheel and Haru next to him as navigator. Rei had politely given up his window seat to sit in the middle, in order to give Makoto a bit more leg room. Things seemed to be going well—Nagisa had started a game of “I Spy” with Rei, and Haru’s nose was buried deep in the atlas where Rin’s carefully planned route had been marked in red pen by Rei the night before—but Makoto had noticed a slight shift in the atmosphere in the front of the car and a furrow on Rin’s brow that seemed to be growing with every passing minute. Any bit of light conversation Rin had been carrying on with Haru had died a good half an hour ago, and they sat in stony silence. As the slight crease on Rin’s brow grew into a furious scowl, Makoto sensed the atmosphere around Haru change—defensive, cautious. Makoto decided it was time to say something. 

“Rin,” he ventured a bit timidly, “Are you feeling okay?”

“Haru!” Rin stated, so suddenly, loudly and bluntly that both Nagisa and Rei jumped in the back seat and hit their heads on the window and the roof of the car, respectively. “Where the _hell_ are we?”

“Hmmm,” Haru mumbled casually, eyes still locked on the map in his hands, “Arizona, I guess.”

“ _Arizona?!_ ” With a squeal of breaks and a jerk of the steering wheel that sent all three passengers in the back seat flying forward, Rin stopped the car on the side of the road. He ripped the atlas furiously out of Haru’s hands and looked at it intently, his face becoming more and more red by the second. Nagisa coughed awkwardly and shot a cautious glance at Makoto, who shrugged. Rei had frozen in his seat, his eyes darting between Haru and Rin in apprehension. The chill in the atmosphere was so palpable that Makoto could have sworn the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees. 

“Haru,” Rin said, voice cold but eyes flashing fire as he set down the atlas, “Our route was clearly marked in red and I know you’re not stupid. Why did you purposely have us go in the wrong direction? Were we not supposed to turn off a while ago?” 

Haru met Rin’s furious eyes cooly and calmly, his own gaze icy. Haru usually feigned indifference when it came to Rin’s moods, but now he was letting his bad temper show clearly—a definite warning sign, Makoto knew. It was as if the other three members of the band did not exist in that moment. Haru picked up the atlas and pointed to a splotch of blue to the east of the careful red line traced by Rei’s steady hand. “I thought I would like to see the—” he broke contact with Rin’s eyes, to squint at the small English print next to the blob, “Gureeto Saruto Reku.” 

Even in his fury, Rin couldn’t help but correct Haru’s English pronunciation. “It’s ‘Great Salt Lake’ Haru, and what do you—” his voice was rising in pitch and volume, a sure sign he was upset, and even from the backseat, Makoto could feel hostility coming off of Haru in waves. He stiffened slightly, bracing himself for the explosion that was sure to happen, as it had many times before when Haru and Rin—who had two extremely opposite and extremely dynamic personalities—clashed, but in that moment, Rin seemed to suddenly remember that Haru and himself were not alone. Rin broke off and shot the back seat a guilty glance. “Sorry, guys. Haru, let’s take this outside.”

And before Makoto could so much as squeak a protest, the two of them slid out of the car, slammed their doors and stalked off into the desert at the side of the road. They were facing each other, Rin gesticulating wildly and Haru with his arms crossed over his chest defensively, eyebrows drawn into a stubborn pout that Makoto knew too well. Their voices, raised in anger, were audible in the car, though it’s occupants could only hear snatches of the conversation (“What do you think you’re doing?!” and “Rin, it’s saltier than the ocean…you can float in it without trying…”, a few “Like I care!”s and a bold “Rin, you love water!” followed by a “Not the same way you do!” and a “Rin, I’ve got to see it!”). Rei and Nagisa exchanged cautious glances. 

“Well,” said Nagisa at last, effectively slicing through the icy atmosphere left behind by their two bandmates, “Looks like Haru-chan’s out of a job. I guess Rin-chan will need a new navigator. Rei-chan? Mako-chan? Who wants to get us un-lost?” 

Wiping a bead of sweat off of his forehead, Rei pushed his glasses up his nose and reached into the front seat to pull the atlas toward him. He was looking a bit pale, and Makoto caught himself wondering if the medicine he’d given to Rei was helping his bandmate at all. “Well, according to my calculations last night, we should be able to easily reach the Yellowstone Park by following this route—” he traced a long black line with his finger, “So technically speaking, Haruka-senpai did not get us lost, merely took a different route than Rin-san and I had planned, you see. It should be easy enough to find our way to Yellowstone and see the Great Salt Lake, which is the largest…”

He broke off as Haru approached the car and threw open the door, a little bit red in the face. “Makoto!” 

Makoto sat upright and smiled awkwardly. “Yes?”

“Sit—here.” He gestured at the seat previously occupied by himself. The words were few, but Makoto could feel his friend’s irritation bleeding out of every pore. Haru practically dragged Makoto out of the vehicle by the arm, then climbed into the seat previously occupied by his friend. He snatched up his favorite water bottle from the front seat and glowered down into it’s empty depths. 

“Ha-ha-haruka-senpai, would you like some water?” Rei stuttered, offering an unopened bottle to his bandmate as Makoto took the atlas from his other hand and climbed into the front seat himself, twisting around so he could see what was happening behind him. Rin was making his way back to the car, hands shoved in his pockets, kicking a rock before him, along with a cloud of dust. 

From the backseat, Nagisa suddenly exclaimed. “That’s the last water, Haru-chan! Don’t drink it!” He snatched the bottle from Rei’s hand and Haru grunted. Rin flung open the door and got back inside the car. Makoto quietly took in the red, watery eyes and the mouth downturned in a pout and quickly decided to not draw any attention to it. Instead, he smiled at Rin and said: “Good news, Rin, we aren’t out of our way at all and if we just keep following this road, we’ll make it to Yellowstone in no time at all.”

“If _someone_ doesn’t make us take _another_ detour to look at a _lake_ ,” Rin said loudly and pointedly. 

Haru’s eyes narrowed a little, but if Rin was hoping for a reaction, he didn’t get one. Haru didn’t take the bait—he didn’t even cast Rin a glance; instead, Haru lunged for the water bottle Nagisa clutched in his hand and tried to tug it away. Rin let his head fall forward onto the steering wheel and groaned. 

And that was where they remained for the next fifteen minutes—with a match of tug-a-war occurring in the backseat between Nagisa and Haru, Rei looking more and more tired and ill by the second, Rin slumped forward, looking as if he’d rather accept death now than drive any further, and Makoto trying to figure out the fastest and best route to get them all safely to the park. He tried to coax Rin to bring the vehicle back up on the road by luring him with the idea that maybe he could give Rin a break from Nagisa’s shenanigans and Haru’s stubborn coldness, both of which had rubbed the other boy too far the wrong way in the past twenty-four hours, but he only received a protest from Nagisa and a groan from Rin for his efforts. 

The noise, the atmosphere, the tension in the car…eventually it all built up until Makoto couldn’t take it any longer, so he cleared his throat and said, feeling a bit timid but speaking confidently: “Look, guys, I have something to say. Nagisa planned this trip as a team bonding experience. Whether we like it or not, we’re in this together. Might as well make the best of it. Nagisa, sit in your own seat and put your seatbelt back on—and don’t worry, we’re close to a service station, we can get some more water. In the meantime, Haru, give Nagisa a sip of your water. Rei, I have some more medicine if you need it—?” 

Rei shook his head and smiled weakly at Makoto. He still looked a little pale and worried—out of all of them, he always had the most difficult time when there was any tension between bandmates—but he was clearly trying to keep his chin up. Makoto smiled back at him, turned around in his seat and clicked his seatbelt on with a sort of finality he hoped would rouse Rin and motivate him to get on with it. His bandmate could be a bit of a drama queen, but Makoto knew he could count on Rin to see sense quickly when it counted. 

It worked. Rin gave a sigh, sat up, and guided the car back onto the interstate. They made it to the service station, where Nagisa was delighted to restock on drinks and sweets (most of which had already been eaten by Nagisa himself in the short time since they had left Las Vegas), and they continued on their way. Makoto gently tried to persuade Rin that the route Haru had taken them on was ok and maybe even a little faster than the route they’d planned last night? and Rin accepted all of Makoto’s words quietly and politely, but he kept throwing withering glances at the backseat where Haru was still pointedly ignoring him. The tension between the two of them hadn’t lessened one bit, but at least they were moving again. 

The next several hours passed without incident. Rin drove in stony silence, acknowledging Makoto’s occasional comments with a twitch of the head or a flickering glance in his direction—the only time he would open his mouth was to call out the stupidity of another driver on the road around them. Haru stared out his window, ignoring all of Nagisa's and Makoto’s attempts at conversation. Rei closed his eyes and put his head back. Makoto felt miserable—the tension around him was wearing on him and he didn’t know what to do about it. He tried enjoying the scenery going by, but his mind was focused on his friends. 

After several hours of suffering, the awkward silence that had descended was broken by Rei’s voice—oddly high pitched and panicky. 

“Rin-san,” Rei gasped, “Can we—can we—stop—?” 

Alarmed by the tone of Rei’s voice, Makoto spun around. Rei wasn’t merely pale anymore—he’d turned a sickly shade of green and was looking more miserable than Makoto had ever seen him before (including the time Nagisa had convinced their manager that the band members just had to dress up in mermaid tails for their latest performance). 

Rin also glanced at Rei in alarm in the rearview mirror, cursed, and swerved across three lanes of traffic to take the nearest exit from the interstate. Makoto thought fast—grabbing the closest plastic bag, currently occupied by Nagisa’s snacks, he emptied it onto the floor and handed it over to Rei, who promptly emptied the entire contents of his stomach into it. Nagisa, Haru and Makoto sat watching him in silent horror until his chest finished heaving, but Rin had the presence of mind to hand him a packet of tissues as he steered them to the nearest service station. As soon as the vehicle had come to a stop, Rei scrambled over Haru’s lap and out the door, sprinting off for the restroom, plastic bag in tow and hand over his mouth. The four others watched him in silence, a sudden, heavy atmosphere of alarm descending on the car and it’s occupants. 

“Well, the rest of us might as well take a break to stretch our legs and maybe visit the bathroom? While we’re here?” Makoto posed his proposal in question form, feeling he was intruding on the uneasy atmosphere that had descended since Rei’s unceremonious exit from the vehicle. 

“The bathroom where Rei-chan just barfed? Ew,” A giggle escaped Nagisa, but he had the decency to look chagrinned after his ill-timed laughter. Next to him, Haru flicked his forehead, chiding. 

Rin opened his door suddenly, without warning, swinging himself out of the vehicle and slamming the door behind him. He stalked off in the direction of the convenience store without a backward glance and disappeared through the sliding doors after Rei. 

Makoto exchanged glances with Haru, who shrugged and spoke for the first time in hours. “I don’t mind stretching.” 

After a few minutes, Makoto, Nagisa and Haru got out of the car and trekked across the parking lot to enter the store. It smelled of gasoline, coffee and cleaning supplies (which Makoto hoped was related to the state of the restroom—for Rei’s sake, at least). Haru and Nagisa walked off down one of the aisles together. Makoto hesitated a moment, then followed them. They were amiably debating over the quality of the different brands of water that filled shelves and coolers. Makoto gave his opinion, but his mind was still on Rei, so after a moment he walked off in the direction of the restroom. He tapped lightly on the door, but there was no response and when he opened it, the room was empty, so he walked back out into the store and glanced around. There was no sign of either of his missing bandmates, though Nagisa was looking at a display in one corner and Haru was still comparing water bottles with his brow furrowed in concentration. Makoto found some medications on a shelf and perused them for anything that looked likely, struggling to decode the labels with his limited knowledge of the English language. He found a small box that he desperately hoped was what he thought it was—something to help with motion sickness!—paid for it, and turned toward the door. 

When Makoto came out of the convenience store, he was surprised to see Rin and Rei sitting side by side on the curb. One of Rin’s hands was resting on Rei’s back, and Rei’s head was in his own hands. They weren’t talking, as far as Makoto could tell, but there was an atmosphere of commiseration and empathy that brought a smile to Makoto’s lips—there was still hope for this trip, then. He walked forward slowly, stepping loudly to warn them of his presence. As he approached, Rin turned and gave Makoto a small smile. “All done? Buy anything?”

“Not much. I hope it will help.” He waved the box at Rin, and handed it over. Makoto let himself sit down on the curb on the other side of Rei, to whom he addressed his next comment. “Feeling any better?”

Rei groaned but raised his head from his hands. “A bit? My stomach is not turning inside out anymore, at the very least.”

“That’s good,” Makoto wasn’t sure what else to say, but let one of his hands come to rest on Rei’s shoulder in what he hoped was a supportive gesture. “You must’ve been miserable. Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“I did not want to bother anyone…” Rei took off his glasses and wiped them on the corner of his shirt. “I thought we had been having a hard enough time as it was.”

“Rei, it wouldn’t have been a bother. We all care about you.”

Rei smiled weakly. “Yes…I suppose I knew that.” 

“Of course you did,” Rin said, grinning sideways at Rei. He waved the box of medication Makoto had purchased in the air. “Brilliant, Makoto.”

“It’s the right thing?”

“Yeah, you did good.” Rin opened it up and handed some to Rei, passing a water bottle he had by his side to his bandmate, “Here, take these and drink up. You’ll be feeling better soon.” 

For a few moments now, Makoto had been feeling Haru’s quiet presence approaching them from behind, but he sensed his friend come to a halt as Rin offered the small pills to Rei. Rei did as instructed and then put his head back in his hands, closing his eyes. Rin and Makoto sat by him in companionable silence.

“I’m so sorry, guys,” Rin sighed at last, averting his eyes in embarrassment, as he typically did when admitting he’d done something wrong, “I’m sorry I’ve made this trip so miserable for everyone.” Though the other two still gave no sign of noticing Haru’s presence and continued talking, Makoto could feel Haru listening intently. 

“It’s not your fault, Rin-san,” Rei was saying, “It was unexpected for all of us, and having to do all of the driving is frankly quite exhausting.”

“It is,” Rin agreed, “But that doesn’t give me an excuse to act like a jerk, does it?”

Makoto laughed at the bluntness of his friend’s admission. “You’re right. But thanks for driving, Rin.” Thanks for apologizing. 

Rin flashed Makoto a sharp grin. “Thanks for being there, Makoto. Thanks for being you.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I agree with Rin-san,” Rei said quietly, “Thank you, Makoto-senpai. Having you here is a comfort.” 

Makoto felt a bit of heat rising to his cheeks—he wasn’t sure why they were thanking him, because he had been feeling utterly useless for the past twenty-four hours, but he found the sincerity in his bandmates’ voices touching. 

Makoto felt Haru’s presence behind them slowly melt away—he must have decided this wasn’t the moment to intrude. He heard the automatic doors slide open again behind them, and a few minutes later he caught sight of Haru making his way back to the car. Nagisa came pelting out of the convenience store a moment later, arms full of colorful boxes and bottles. 

Rei was still leaning over with his head in his hands, but his breathing had evened out and he seemed to have calmed slightly, so Makoto stood and offered a hand. “Do you think you can make it back to the car? Will you be okay?” 

Rei nodded, and took Makoto’s hand. Makoto pulled him up and Rin stood up as well, stretching slightly. “Guess we’d better get on the road again?” 

They approached the car together, with smiles restored to their faces and Rei with a bit more color to his cheeks. Haru and Nagisa were waiting for them, leaning up against the passenger side of the vehicle. Upon catching sight of Haru, Rin stiffened a bit and his lips tightened—clearly, this little disagreement wasn’t over quite yet, at least not to Rin. But as they approached, Haru met Rin’s eyes meekly and Makoto felt some sort of silent understanding pass between the two of them. Rin’s stiff posture slumped slightly, and, still meeting the other’s eyes, Haru said: “Here, I got this for you.” He held a bottle out toward Rin, condensation dripping off it onto the ground, as bubbles slowly made their way to the top of the dark liquid within. Haru was staring at Rin intently, his posture seeming to say _We’re ok, aren’t we?_

Rin regarded the bottle for a moment before he took it slowly from Haru, and they held it between them for a moment, an unspoken apology on Haru’s part passing between them. Makoto could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and Nagisa and Rei were watching the exchange silently. 

At last Rin said, breaking the silence between them: “Thanks, Haru.”

Haru’s lips curved into what was (for Haru) a huge smile as he released the bottle, turning to get back into the backseat of the car. Rin’s voice broke through the distant sounds of traffic yet again, speaking to Haru’s back: “It’s…it’s not bad, Utah.” Haru turned around, eyes alight. Rin stuttered on, unable to voice a direct apology, but ready to try the next best thing: “It’s pretty here. The Salt Lake sounds pretty cool, too. So…it’s not bad. The drivers are rude, but it was fun…to come this way.” His hand moved up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. Makoto smiled at his embarrassment, releasing a little breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in a short sigh as he felt tension drain out of the atmosphere. 

Haru gave Rin a small smile, and climbed into the car. Nagisa had taken Rei’s hand and was gazing into his eyes suspiciously. “Rei-chan, are you going to be ok? You can throw up on me if you need to, I don’t mind. _That_ would be good for bonding!” 

“I’ll be fine,” Rei said stiffly. “Don’t worry about me, Nagisa-kun.”

“If Rei-chan gets carsick, Rei-chan should have told us,” Nagisa was chiding. 

“I did not know!” Rei protested, “I have not been on such a long drive before!” and Nagisa laughed, patting his friend on the back and sliding into the car himself, to sit in the middle. Rei climbed in after him, leaving Makoto and Rin alone outside, listening to the distant sound of cars moving to unknown destinations on the interstate not far from them. 

Rin looked to Makoto and smiled. “We’re in this together, so might as well make the best of it, right?”

Makoto glanced back, feeling a smile tugging at the corner’s of his mouth. “Right. Might as well.” 

Laughing, Rin got back into the car. Makoto took a deep breath, feeling his spirits rise, and followed. 

The rest of the trip was just what Nagisa had been planning from the beginning—the car was full of conversation and laughter for the remainder of the journey. The medications seemed to help Rei—at least, he didn’t vomit again, and he felt well enough to take part in the conversation and games Nagisa was busy inventing on the spot to pass the time. Rin was smiling and cheerful again, and Haru was going out of his way to be extra nice to him. When they came over a large hill, greeted with the sight of a lake stretching out in front and to their left, Haru gripped the back of the seat in front of him and gasped in wonder: “Rin! Makoto! Nagisa! Rei! That’s it—Gureeto Saruto Reku!” His eyes were sparkling intensely, mouth open excitedly. 

Rin dissolved into a fit of giggles. “You’re wrong, Haru. That’s Utah Lake. Show him, Makoto—this one is puny compared with the Salt Lake. We have bigger lakes than this one back home.”

Makoto tried to show Haru the relative size of the blue dots in his atlas, but Haru’s nose was pressed to the window, staring across the water. Nagisa and Rei watched him in silence, and Makoto smiled fondly. 

“Rin, I want to swim!” 

“Haru, we can’t—if we stop here _and_ at the Salt Lake we’ll never make it to Yellowstone to sleep tonight.” 

“We’re stopping there?” The sparkling in Haru’s eyes intensified. 

“Did I say that—? Crap, well…I mean…since we’re here and all…might as well…” 

Nagisa gave a shout of pleasure and an “I loooove you Rin-chan!” and Haru looked so pleased, Makoto didn’t doubt he was about ready to give Rin his Looseyjaw-kun water bottle, no strings attached, as a symbol of his gratitude. The atmosphere amongst them turned to one of anticipation—Haru spent his time loudly pointing out every sign directing them toward the lake to Rin, and Nagisa was bouncing up and down in anticipation. “We haven’t been swimming together in sooooooo long!”

When they at last arrived, Haru, Rin and Nagisa spilled out the doors of the car in a flash, running towards the water. Almost too late, Makoto called out: “What are you going to do with your clothes?!” and Rin and Nagisa returned to the car, looking slightly embarrassed, to pull out their luggage and change into swimming suits (Makoto was surprised by how un-surprised he was that each of his bandmates had packed one). Haru had, naturally, already been wearing his jammers and had shed the rest of his clothing in the car as soon as it had stopped. In some sort of superhuman manifestation of self-control that Makoto had never expected from his childhood friend, Haru was currently pacing back and forth in front of the car while his bandmates changed, waiting on them instead of already being down in the water. Nagisa’s words about bonding and spending time together must have worked some sort of magic on him.

“Well, Haru?” Rin came around the edge of the car, followed by Nagisa and then Rei. “What do you think?”

“It’s big. It stinks.” Haru stated bluntly, but in an instant, he’d seized Rin and Nagisa by the hands was running toward the water, tugging them along. “Makoto! Rei!”

Makoto and Rei exchanged glances, and then jogged off across the white sand after their friends, who were already entering the water with excited whoops. 

“It’s disgusting!” Nagisa shouted, waving at them from where he was standing in the water. “It feels so gross, Rei-chan!” 

“It’s not…very…beautiful…ugh,” Rei sighed, but he let Nagisa and Haru tug him into the lake after them and, laughing, Makoto followed. 

It was getting dark by the time Makoto convinced his bandmates to get out of the water and to clean up in the showers. “We still have four hours to drive to get to our hotel this evening” hadn’t done much to convince them, but “Old Faithful is waiting” had Haru out of the lake, under the shower, and into the car more quickly than Makoto had thought possible. 

When they were safely back on the road, making good progress toward their destination, Makoto turned in his seat to meet Nagisa’s eye and said “Nagisa…thanks for planning this trip. It’s really great.”

Nagisa opened his mouth to reply, but Haru was already speaking: “I agree…thanks, Nagisa. I’m glad we came.”

“I have certainly learned a lot about myself today,” Rei said, “And a lot about the rest of you.” 

“Yeah,” Rin smiled at Nagisa in the rearview mirror, “Thanks for convincing me to come with you. It’s been nice to share all these new experiences and sights with you guys. And we’re not even at Yellowstone Park yet! It’s been a long trip, but I’ll be glad once we’re there. Thanks, it’s been fun.” 

Nagisa looked down at his lap, eyes shining. Makoto wondered if he really had been so touched by his friend’s admissions of gratitude, and made a mental note to thank Nagisa for his ideas more often. But then Nagisa’s curly head sprang back up and Makoto recognized that the glint in his eye had been a mischievous one. “I didn’t tell you all,” said Nagisa, “but the best part is that our plane flies directly out of L.A., so we get to do this road trip all the way back again the day after tomorrow!”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for Style Five Week on tumblr, and is (fortunately or unfortunately) the first fic I've actually published in this fandom. I already wrote another fic in which Haru meets Old Faithful, but I liked the idea too much to let it go, so I used it in again as the premise of this story...although obviously the story ended up going in its own direction and Haru never actually met Old Faithful after all—please forgive me, someday I'll make up for it. Inspired heavily by my own mishaps on I-15, what joy. Sorry but not sorry about the jab at Utah drivers. I hope the story is sufficiently campy to be a proper tribute to Free!. Thanks to my sisters for proofreading, any mistakes are 100% on me. Thanks to you for taking the time to read it.


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